The last few days have been a bag of mixed weather conditions and I haven't really ventured far from the lockdown loftroom. I'm incredibly lucky in that I have such a great view from the window. Every morning I'm woken by the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling for food and a Red Kite 'mewing' from it's favourite perch.
The neighbour has a few mature trees in their back garden, which make convenient homes and perches for many birds. For the last couple of days I have been able to hear the calls of a new family of fledglings but it was only yesterday that I was able to actually spot what was making the high pitched tinny calls....
a family of Goldcrests.
There were at least three youngsters but it was incredibly difficult trying to photograph just one, let alone all three. When the adult birds came back with food they would all disappear into the safety, and darkness, of the conifer therefore making getting any photos impossible. But I managed a few of one of the young whilst it waited patiently to be fed.....
How cute is that ? And it's a 'first' for me. I've photographed adult Goldcrests before, but never one as young as this.
Another bird that is nesting either in the conifer, or very close by, is the Wren. We think this one is possibly on it's second brood now...
The Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been keeping me very entertained. I am still seeing two adult males and three or four juveniles, but I now think these are two separate families as there seems to be a few 'squabbles' if they all come down to the back gardens at the same time.
Spotting a Red Kite from the lockdown loftroom window is almost guaranteed, but recently one has taken to sitting in the tall trees at the back of the field. There it calls that eerie 'mew' sound for some time before flying off and around and often back to the same tree. Yesterday, during the afternoon non-stop rain, it perched in the same place for over three hours. It is a little too far to get any real close up photos but the pics below are all of the same bird taken over the course of three days.
As it doesn't appear to be on a nest, nor have a partner, I'm thinking this is possibly one of last years juveniles that hasn't yet reached maturity...
Another tree in the neighbours garden, isn't only useful for the woodpeckers to perch on, there is a particular branch that is almost eye level to me in the loftroom, and with the bonus of a lack of a busy background, it makes spotting any birds very easy. It's a very popular branch.....
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| juvenile and adult Great Spotted Woodpeckers |
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| Chaffinch and GSW |
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| Ring-necked Parakeet and GSW |
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| Wood Pigeon |
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| Collared Dove |
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| juvenile Goldfinches |
I haven't seen too much of the fox family since the vixen moved her cubs a couple of weeks ago on the bank holiday morning. But I have seen her hunting in the field at dusk, and I did spot two adult foxes together one evening but it was too dark to get any decent photos.
Both of the male Muntjacs seem to be still around. The field must feel very safe and secure to them. The older male with the bad leg was out after a heavy rainfall last Saturday....
He has now lost both of his antlers. He had hung on to one for some time, which made identifying him from the younger male very easy, but now I have to check the hind legs to be sure of which one I am watching. The injury on his leg looks better than when I first saw it, there is no open wound anymore, but he definitely has a huge abcess on the joint. Luckily it is not affecting him in any way at all. I've seen him sprint across the field and put his weight on the leg, and he is feeding well.
After getting what I wished for recently (a photo of a muntjac, adult fox and fox cub in the same photo) my next wish is to get both of the muntjac in the same photo.....watch this space !
Keep well everyone and stay safe
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